I list just a short sample of 3 verses from the gospel of Matthew:
Mat 10:22 KJV
And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake:
but he that endureth to the end shall be saved [G4982].
Mat 16:25 KJV
For whosoever will save [G4982] his life shall lose it:
and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
Mat 24:13 KJV
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall
be saved [G4982].
The Strong's word is G4981 - Sozo (verb) - to save, make whole,
heal, be whole. Strong's definitions include:
1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
1a) one (from injury or peril)
1b) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from
disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
1c) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue
2) to save in the technical biblical sense negatively:
2a) to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment
2b) to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the
Messianic deliverance
I would round out this definition as: to be perfectly complete, entirely
healed (from every destructive thing); to become totally restored.
healed (from every destructive thing); to become totally restored.
I find it interesting that such healing, promised rescue from danger,
destruction or suffering was provided to the believer 'unto the end'
and not the first thing on the list of experiences.
I would imagine the confusion, disappointment and sense of heavenly
betrayal for those who have need of such healing from above. It sort
of carries with it an unknowable quality of guesswork, anticipation and
an indeterminate amount of anxiety associated with hiding the scriptures
in our hearts while our lives seem to breakdown under the stressful
pressures of this present day.
When we experience such internalized conflict about our hidden pain,
then we might question ourselves, "Is my faith in vain?" It leads us to
examine ourselves in a non-accepting fashion so as to 'weed-out' or
eliminate some sort of offending part(s) that might be working against
our healing, our rescue or even our salvation.
Sorting out our hearts is always a messy business, at best. The idea
of our blind-spots, acting as 'a log in our eye' that perverts perspectives
of the 'speck-in-their-eye' contrast, can push us to extremes where
we find ourselves self-loathing part(s) of our lives that seem to be
deserving of rejection, hatred, suppression and denial. Perhaps for
some, the unconscious conflicts within our hearts and minds are
wrestling with hidden, invisible things that are yet to be revealed
in the light of the gospel of truth.
Herein I have found a small measure of guarded hope for myself.
I believe that I am not capable of comprehending the extent of my
'unknowable' conflicts within my journey. I hope my faith is not in
vain as I entrust my 'saved' condition unto the One Who Is My
Lord in heaven. Therefore, even though I have not been healed,
not received restoration, not had the experiences of being made
whole, I have placed my trust, my attachment, my whole heart
into the hands of Him who has called me out of darkness into
His marvelous light.
It's my job to entrust myself in long-suffering
yet working out my salvation with all my
strength here in this life; it's His job to both
promise and fulfill His word (hidden in my
heart) that bears fruitful salvation thereby
making me whole, complete, lacking no good
thing. It's the World's job to corrupt, steal,
betray, lie, deny, mock and destroy my
progress as a believer.
